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European Journal of Applied Sciences – Vol. 10, No. 2
Publication Date: April 25, 2022
DOI:10.14738/aivp.102.12080. Daniel, L. L., & Aristides, S. G. (2022). Spatial Analysis to Mapping Homogeneous Units for Environmental Planning. Study Case
Conservation Land Area, Mexico City, Mexico. European Journal of Applied Sciences, 10(2). 350-361.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Spatial Analysis to Mapping Homogeneous Units for
Environmental Planning. Study Case Conservation Land Area,
Mexico City, Mexico
Daniel López L.
Agrólogo, MSc, Área de Geopolítica y Territorio
Centro de Investigación en ciencias de Informacion Geoespacial
A.C., ciudad de Mexico, México
Aristides Saavedra G.
Agrólogo, Especialista en Geomorfología
reconocimiento y cartografía de suelo
area de Geopolítica y Territorio, Centro de Investigación en ciencias de
Informacion Geoespacial A.C., ciudad de México, México
ABSTRACT
In Mexico City, the territorial unit known as "conservation land" is of vital
importance for the city since it provides essential environmental services for the
quality of life of its inhabitants. In recent decades, the growth of the urban sprawl
of Mexico City and its suburban area, as well as the advance and expansion of the
agricultural frontier, have become the main threats to the proper functioning of the
natural system, and therefore affect the environmental services they provide to the
city. To provide elements for the territorial planning process, a project was carried
out with the objective of evaluating the land suitability of the conservation land, as
a basic input for a territorial management proposal, as a strategy for land use
planning at regional level. The suitability evaluation was based on the Land Use
Capability Classification system developed by the United States Soil Conservation
Service, adapted by the authors for the conditions of the study area. The basic input
for the management proposal is the evaluation of suitability, which is modeled and
analyzed in conjunction with other databases, through structured queries in SQML
language; the result is a management proposal in two levels, zones, and subzones.
It is concluded that the biophysical land use planning proposed here is an option to
address and solve the environmental problems in the study area, and that it can be
used at different levels of government where land use policies are designed at
different spatial scales. Geospatial modeling and analysis were key elements in the
analysis and integration of the information.
Keywords: Spatial analysis, mapping, environmental planning, territorial planning, land
suitability.
INTRODUCTION
The "conservation land - SC", the study area considered here, consists of a condition established
in the urban legislation and represents the areas where strong restrictions on land use are
established, especially from the point of view of planning the growth of the city, since the
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Daniel, L. L., & Aristides, S. G. (2022). Spatial Analysis to Mapping Homogeneous Units for Environmental Planning. Study Case Conservation Land
Area, Mexico City, Mexico. European Journal of Applied Sciences, 10(2). 350-361.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/aivp.102.12080
natural characteristics that are still preserved, constitute important ecosystems that are vital
for the subsistence not only of Mexico City, but for the entire Metropolitan Zone of the Valley of
Mexico -ZMVM [10].
The territory considered SC, represents a space of enormous importance not only to the
population of Mexico City and as a whole for the endorheic basin of Mexico, but also to the
different municipalities of the ZMVM, since it provides environmental services such as water
production, oxygen, carbon sequestration (in soils and biomass), climate regulation,
biodiversity, soil retention, flood control, agricultural production, forestry and landscape
beauty, among others, all of which are indispensable and valuable for sustaining the quality of
life of those who live in its area of influence.
However, this zone has been experiencing excessive growth in the last decades, not only due to
the significant increase in urban sprawl (regular and irregular settlements, infrastructure) in
Mexico City and the surrounding area, but also due to the advance and expansion of the
agricultural frontier, a situation that is manifested in the significant changes in land cover and
land use, because of the various transformations of large areas of natural ecosystems into
agriculture. Thus, population growth and the effects of urban expansion on deforestation,
pollution and changes in land use and management are the main threats to biodiversity due to
the deterioration, transformation, and substitution of natural ecosystems.
Despite its essential value for the city's livelihood, the ecosystems and its natural resources are
also considerably affected and degraded due to the deliberate and irrational extraction of land
(soils), burning, exploitation of flora (mosses, lichens), timber products (clandestine
exploitation) and non-timber products. All these factors are transforming, pressuring, and
threatening the preservation of this invaluable natural space daily.
Based on the above, the objective of this study is to evaluate the land suitability of the SC, as a
basic input for a land use planning proposal as a strategy for land use planning at the regional
level, for the territorial authorities (municipalities), in such a way that allows them to guide the
different productive activities and their most convenient location, as well as the management
and protection of natural resources, conservation of protected areas, and implementation of
sustainable productive systems and policies oriented to land recovery.
Land Suitability Zoning as a Basic Element for Territorial Planning
Zoning by land suitability consists of delimiting relatively homogeneous geographic spaces
based on the physical and biological environment. The use of this approach as a basis for
management and regionalization enriches knowledge about the distribution of natural
resources, their dynamics over time and the tolerance of the environment to human
intervention. Zoning will make it possible to evaluate the productive aptitude of the territory
and potential conflicts between aptitude and current land use. In this sense, for this study,
zoning in land units will constitute the natural physical support for the definition and
application of planning and management programs within the territorial and environmental
management units [21].
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European Journal of Applied Sciences (EJAS) Vol. 10, Issue 2, April-2022
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
The classification of soils according to their capacity for use "is a systematic arrangement of a
practical and interpretative nature, based on the natural aptitude of the soil to produce
constantly under continuous treatment and specific uses" [17]. This management provides
basic information and exposes the difficulties that soils present in terms of use limitations,
needs and management practices required, and provides key and essential elements for the
formulation and programming of comprehensive agricultural development plans.
Land evaluation can be defined as the process of measuring the response of a unit of land when
used for specific purposes. In this sense, evaluation attempts to predict the behavior of each
unit of land, for each current or proposed use; it is a method to support rural development and
land planning. The classification of land by its use capacity contemplates an analysis of the
different elements and characteristics of the physical environment and the behavior of each
land unit according to its characteristics and in accordance with the different limiting factors
that intervene in its adequate use and management [20].
The classification by land use capacity is interpretive in nature and is based on the combined
effects of environmental climate and permanent soil characteristics on the risks of
deterioration, limitations in use, production capacity, and soil management requirements [11].
Lands classified in the same capacity class are similar only in the degree of limitations on use
for agricultural purposes and the risk of deterioration when used. A land capability class may
include several soil populations, which require different management practices; thus, valid
generalizations regarding specific crops and management practices cannot be made at the class
level. Thus, the classification by capacity of use is not a classification for specific crops, but for
groups of crops; therefore, it is not made according to the most profitable use that can be made
of the land.
The use of the land suitability zoning approach allows the delimitation of relatively
homogeneous geographic spaces and represents the basis for regionalization since it enriches
knowledge on the distribution of natural resources, their dynamics over time and the tolerance
of the environment to human intervention. Zoning will make it possible to assess the
productive aptitude of the territory and evaluate potential conflicts between aptitude and
current land use.
The classification system groups soils into three categories: class, subclass, and management
group. The classes by capacity of use group soils with similar degree of limitations or risks that
can affect soils and crops. There are eight classes, and they are designated by Roman numerals
[16]. The limitations of use are progressively greater from class I to class VIII; thus, class I has
all the characteristics and conditions of optimal land for any agricultural exploitation, with high
crop yields and the lowest risk of land deterioration. Class II has less favorable qualities and its
productivity is lower, increasing operating costs. In classes III and IV, productivity is reduced,
and risks and costs increase, to such an extent that in class IV, cash crops can become a risky
activity. Class V has severe limitations that restrict its use to certain times of the year or can be
used through costly adaptation practices. Classes VI and VII have severe and very severe
limitations, the lands are suitable for native plants or site-specific trees and crops that require
intensive conservation practices and operating costs are very high. Class VIII groups lands with
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Daniel, L. L., & Aristides, S. G. (2022). Spatial Analysis to Mapping Homogeneous Units for Environmental Planning. Study Case Conservation Land
Area, Mexico City, Mexico. European Journal of Applied Sciences, 10(2). 350-361.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/aivp.102.12080
very severe to extremely severe limitations, they are not suitable for crops and should only be
used for wildlife conservation, research, recreation, and natural resource conservation [21].
Qui Subclasses are divisions of classes and bring together lands that have an equal number and
similar degree of limitations and risks in their use. There are five subclasses: (t) slope, (e)
erosion susceptibility, (h) moisture (s) soils, and (c) climate; they are designated by adding a
lower-case letter after the class and may occur alone or in combination. Most of the constraints
are permanent (slope, unfavorable climate); however, some may be temporary and correctable
(e.g., waterlogging) that can be eliminated with adaptation practices such as drainage [21].
Territorial Planning
The most used definition of territorial planning (TO) is that given in the 1983 European Charter
[6]: "The spatial expression of the economic, social, cultural and ecological policies of any
society. It is at once a scientific discipline, an administrative technique and a policy conceived
as an interdisciplinary and global approach whose objective is a balanced development of
regions and the physical organization of space according to a guiding concept". TO is an
important tool for territorial planning and management, and a means to advance and achieve
sustainable development from an integral perspective [22] .
Environmental Land Use Planning (ETO) can be defined as an environmental policy tool that
aims at the spatial organization of activities in each area, and that takes the environment in a
broad conception -including social, natural, and cultural assets- and considers it as the
substrate that makes life possible in its various forms [9].
"Ecologically sustainable forest management encourages the development of forests according
to the principles of maintaining ecological processes, maintaining biological diversity and
optimizing community benefits from all forest uses within ecological limits [3]. The aim is to
obtain a balanced return to the community from all forest uses within a regional planning
framework that combines environmental, commercial, social and cultural objectives in a
manner that, as far as possible, ensures the sustainability of all forest values" [7].
Management with emphasis on forest and agroforestry systems is considered in this study as
an important technical planning tool for agroforestry and conservation programs and policies,
which is based on the analysis, classification and spatialization of non-forest and preferably
forest lands by biological functions and sub-functions of conservation-protection, regulation,
production and restoration, with the objective of promoting and encouraging better
management of soil and water resources, and contributing to sustainable forest and
agroforestry development, as well as their preservation and protection [21].
The Study Area
The city of Mexico, for territorial planning purposes, considers two territorial units [10] the
urban development area, commonly called urban land, comprises 41% of the surface and the
ecological conservation area, usually known as conservation land (SC), which represents
approximately 59% of the extension, being this last unit the one considered as study area in the
present publication. This division generally represents the basis for local government agencies
for the development and implementation of planning policies and development activities from